The present invention relates to the generation of renewable energy, and more specifically to modular solar arrays and a system and method for tracking and allocating contributions to the system.
The increasing cost of diesel fuel, new regulations prohibiting idling and the use of diesel generators to power electrical systems while vehicles are at rest, and the increasing value of renewable energy credits is now reaching a point in the market where it is cost effective for transportation companies to invest in solar energy systems for their fleets. The trucks that transport goods around the country use tremendous amounts of diesel fuel, not just to fuel the engine, but also to drive the electrical systems of the trucks. While in motion, additional horsepower is required to drive the electrical systems to maintain cab heating and air conditioning, lights, radios, GPS tracking systems and cooling systems for cargo, thus requiring the engine to work harder and burn more fuel. While stationary at a truck stop, the engines and/or on board generators are often left running for extended periods of time to continue to keep these electrical systems operating, burning additional fuel and contributing to poor air quality issues. The costs associated with running and maintaining auxiliary diesel generators are increasingly prohibitive and many companies are now at a crossroad where savings in fuel costs is critical not only to profitability, but to financial viability.
Solar energy is also at a crossroad where the solar panel systems are efficient enough and energy incentives are valuable enough to offset their initial costs over a reasonable period of time. Tied together with potential fuel savings in transportation systems, the combination may now be financially attractive to deserve large-scale deployment in the transportation industry.